Dukakis okay with scaled back examination of rail link

The leader of a working group pushing for construction of a rail link connecting North and South stations is urging action to get underway on a feasibility study of the project, and is willing to compromise on what the scope an analysis should look like.

Reacting to comments made by Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, who suggested examination of the ideas submitted by the North South Rail Link Working Group last month could exceed the $2 million allocation from the state for the study, former Gov. Michael Dukakis said he’d be okay with paring back the scope of the study for the sake of urgency.

“If she thinks the scope is a little too – ok, fine, trim it down. We don’t want to keep sitting around here. This administration has been in office for 16 months, so we want to get going on it. Shouldn’t take more than six months to complete the study and then we’ll all have a better idea of what we’re dealing with here,” former Gov. Michael Dukakis told the News Service.

He and other rail link supporters plan to meet with Pollack on Wednesday, according to Dukakis, who said he looks forward to discussing how they can “get going on this thing.”

The rail link group meets monthly at the State House to privately discuss strategy and has in the past met with Gov. Charlie Baker as well as members of his staff. Baker has not dismissed the rail link, but said at a transportation forum Thursday that his priorities for the MBTA are “reliability, modernization and expansion, in that order.”